


Leave Me Alone

by SometimesAnAries



Series: Learning As We Go [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst and Feels, Cheating, Drug Abuse, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Trust, M/M, Minor Character Death, Panic Attacks, Tough Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:55:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22545883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SometimesAnAries/pseuds/SometimesAnAries
Summary: Tom pays his debts in the only way he knows how.Serina suffers the consequences.
Relationships: Tom Riddle/Augustus Rookwood, Tom Riddle/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Learning As We Go [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584997
Kudos: 16





	Leave Me Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Readers!  
> I would like to put a warning in the beginning of this chapter for those potentially triggered by panic attacks. I have not marked the exact spot for the content as I did in previous chapters, because it is such a small part. If that is something that can potentially trigger you please let me know and I can mark the content within the chapter. I don't want anybody having a bad experience with my stories, and I hope you all enjoy!

Tom sat in the Slytherin common room, eyes focused on the book in his hand. It wasn't often he sat out here, surrounded by the crowd, but today he was fine with it. The chatter didn't bother him like it usually did. Maybe it was a good day for him. Maybe it was because he hadn't done any coke in the past week and wasn't as irritable. Maybe it was because Serina continued to amaze him day after day. Either way, Tom wasn't bothered by the people around him.

"Riddle," a boy pulled Tom from his mind.

Correction. He was bothered by one person.

"Rookwood," Tom responded, not looking up from his book.

"We need to talk," the boy took a seat on the arm of Tom's chair.

Tom cut his eyes at the boy, "Then talk."

"I've come to collect," Rookwood said cryptically.

"And I've told you to be patient," Tom sighed.

"I have been," Rookwood countered, "I've been very patient. The problem with that is, if I continue being patient, you'll continue brushing me off. I told you last week your time was running out. That time has come to an end."

"We can talk about this later," Tom hissed, "but not right now. Not out in the open like this."

"No," Rookwood corrected, "We can't talk about this later, but we can talk about it somewhere else if you'd like."

It wasn't often Tom allowed himself to be pushed into a corner like this, but right now that was exactly what was happening. Rookwood was pushing Tom into a tight spot, and Tom was in no position to fight back.

"Fine then," Tom shut his book and let out an exasperated sigh, "Follow me."

Tom led the boy to his room, shooing away his roommates. When they were alone, and the door was closed behind them, Tom turned to the boy standing there.

"I don't have your money," Tom admitted, "and I probably won't have it for at least another month. The deal I've been working on is...taking time."

"That's unfortunate," Rookwood shrugged, "because I either need the money you owe me, or something of equal value, and I need it today."

"What are you getting at?" Tom growled.

"Well," Rookwood took a step towards Tom, "I think there is an easy way to….even the score, so to speak. You give me what I want, and I walk out of here today considering your debts paid."

Tom grit his teeth and looked away, focusing his gaze on the ground at Rookwood's feet

"What did you have in mind?" Tom asked.

Rookwood took another step towards Tom, closing the gap between them. He hooked his finger underneath the smaller boy's chin and pulled his gaze back up to his eyes.

"You know what I want Tom," Rookwood said quietly, "Give it to me and we're even."

Tom jerked his head to the side, pulling his chin from Rookwood's grasp.

"That's out of the question," Tom hissed, "I've given myself to somebody. I'm sure you're aware of that."

"I've accepted Rowle's sister's hand in marriage," Rookwood explained, "That's not stopping me."

"You're not married yet," Tom countered.

"Neither are you," Rookwood smirked, "Honestly, Tom. What Selwyn doesn't know won't hurt her."

Tom contemplated his options for a moment, making Rookwood stand awkwardly before him as he thought. If he refused, it was very possible that Rookwood would take what information he had on Tom and use it against him. Rookwood wasn't one of his Knights, but he had connections to his Knights, and would more than likely join them in the future. He could be an asset one day, but right now Rookwood knew more than Tom cared to admit, and was proudly holding that over his head right now. On the other hand, if he agreed he would be cheating on Serina, the one thing he had promised he wouldn't do when he asked her out. It was the only reason she took this chance on him. Even if he didn't tell her about this, he would be betraying her trust, and it would be something that ate at him any time he saw her. Ultimately, this would destroy his relationship with Serina.

After several minutes of silence, Tom let out a defeated sigh, "Make it quick."

In the end, he simply couldn't risk Rookwood handing off valuable information to Dumbledore. 

"Don't sound so disappointed Riddle," Rookwood smirked, taking the final step towards Tom and hooking his hand around the back of Tom's neck, "I know what I'm doing."

Rookwood took a moment to look over Tom's face, taking in the upset look plastered on it. He planned to change that to a look of pleasure. 

"Take your robes off and turn around," Rookwood ordered.

There was no bite to it. No triumphant condescending tone. Just an order. 

Tom did as he was told, shrugging the heavy fabric off his shoulders and turning to face his bed. He bit his lip as he felt the taller boy press his chest to Tom's back. He felt Rookwood reach around and unbutton his trousers. He reached into Tom's trousers and palmed his soft cock through his boxers. Tom inhaled sharply when he reached down and cupped his balls. He felt his cock begin to stir when Rookwood ground into his arse.

"There we go," Rookwood hummed in his ear, playing with his cock as it grew.

"Do you have to talk?" Tom hissed, trying to grasp onto any bit of control he could.

Rookwood only chuckled in response, pulling his hand from Tom's trousers and hooking his thumbs into the sides. He pulled them down along with his boxers, freeing his cock and exposing his arse. He abandoned the fabric at Tom's knees in favor of running his flat palms up Tom's thighs, resting them on the smaller boy's hips.

"Take them off," Rookwood ordered, "and bend over. Hands on the bed."

Tom removed his trousers and bent over, placing his flat palms on the bed, keeping his torso up and off the mattress. He flinched when he felt Rookwood run a hand from his arse to the small of his back.

"Damn," Rookwood cursed, sliding his right hand across Toms cheeks and down to his thighs, caressing the soft skin there, "Anybody ever tell you how nice of an arse you've got?"

Tom ignored the boy, focusing on his breathing as Rookwood reached between his legs and cupped his balls, massaging them between his fingers.

"Put your knees on the bed," Rookwood ordered, "and spread your legs a bit." 

Tom bent his legs, resting his knees on the edge of the mattress before shifting his weight to open his legs.

"Bloody hell, Riddle," Rookwood hummed, sliding his hand forward to stroke Tom's cock, "If you weren't such a dom I'd say you were born for this. You're bloody good at taking orders."

"There you go, talking again," Tom growled angrily.

"Such a brat," Rookwood spat, grabbing a fistful of Tom's hair and pulling.

Tom twitched in Rookwood's hand, making the taller boy smile. He gave Tom a few strokes before releasing him, causing Tom to sigh quietly. When Rookwood's hand returned, it groped Tom's arse before circling a digit around his hole. He tensed, anticipating Rookwood's next move.

"Don't," Rookwood whispered, releasing his hair and placing his flat palm between Tom's shoulder blades, "If you tense up it'll just hurt. Relax."

Tom focused on his breathing, taking steady breaths in and out and trying to relax his body. His breath hitched when he felt the digit slide into him. Rookwood pumped slowly, in and out, in and out, until he felt Tom's inner muscles relax around him. Tom gripped the sheets when he felt Rookwood add another finger, stretching him. His breathing stuttered with each pump despite trying to keep it even. Tom jerked and a moan slipped through his teeth when the fingers hit the spot that made him see white. 

"There it is," Rookwood purred.

Tom knew what the boy was talking about. He had found the same spot in the boys he'd fucked. He had angled his thrusts towards it, reveling in the wanton moans he could pull from the toughest boys. He never knew what it felt like, having never allowed someone to take him like this before. Now he understood why Dolohov was jelly beneath him after a good fuck. Why Malfoy would shift his hips until Tom hit him just right.

Tom bit his lip until it bled trying to hold back the sounds as Rookwood massaged him. Only when Tom's elbows gave out and his face was pressed to the bed did Rookwood let up. Tom was a panting mess, on the brink of cumming all over his sheets. Rookwood gently kneaded into Tom's arse, giving the boy time to recover before he continued. When Tom's breathing returned somewhat to normal, he turned his head and glared back at the taller boy. Rookwood was unbuttoning his trousers, and Tom caught sight of what he was up against. He was big. Bigger than Tom. This was far from an ideal situation, but Tom didn't have much say in the matter.

"Are you ready?" Rookwood asked.

"Do you not know the definition of quick?" Tom hissed, unsure if the words came out as angry or desperate.

"If I go quick I'll hurt you," Rookwood explained, "Trust me, if I could, I would fuck you into this mattress without prep, but I don't want you to kill me afterwards, so I'm trying to be nice."

"Nice would have been forgiving my debts and fucking off," Tom growled.

"Yea," Rookwood smirked, lining his cock up to Tom's hole, "but that's not nearly as fun."

Tom gripped the sheets until his knuckles turned white. Thankfully, his voice had gotten stuck in his throat, so he was incapable of making any noise as Rookwood breached him. It was an agonizingly slow process. Rookwood paused every inch or so to give Tom time to adjust. Had this been a normal situation, Tom would have been grateful. 

"Bloody hell," Rookwood cursed when his hips connected to Tom's arse, "How are you so fucking tight?"

"I don't do this," Tom said breathily, struggling to keep his composure.

Rookwood chuckled, but as he moved it turned into a moan, "Fuck, are you serious? Am I really your first?"

"Is this doing it for you, or are you actually going to fuck me at some point?" Tom growled out.

"You're eager," Rookwood smirked, "Do you want me to fuck you, Riddle?"

"Not particularly," Tom hissed, though it was easy to tell he was lying, "but you might as well, while we're here."

Rookwood reached up and dug his nails into Tom's shoulder, dragging them down his back. Tom arched and a moan slipped from his lips as the nails left angry red welts on his skin.

"Answer me," Rookwood ordered.

The order was dripping with authority, and Tom absolutely hated the fact that it turned him on.

"Yes," he growled out, "Happy?"

"Thrilled," Rookwood grinned.

He pulled out slightly and thrust back into Tom's heat, setting a slow but steady pace. Tom was trying his damndest to be quiet, but Rookwood absolutely knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what he needed to do to make Tom enjoy this. Before long, Tom's face was pressed to the sheets and he was moaning in time with the larger boy's thrusts. 

* * *

Serina entered the Slytherin common room. She didn't take the time to look around since Tom didn't usually sit in here. 

"Serina," someone called from her right.

She stopped in her tracks and looked around, spotting Malfoy in the corner. He waved her over, so she went to him.

"Hello, Malfoy," she greeted, "Can I help you?"

"How have you been?" he asked, a smile plastered on his face.

"Well," she shrugged, "You?"

"I've been well," he nodded, "how are you doing with N.E.W.T.S studying?"

"It's awful," she admitted, "I'm not looking forward to next year. Sorry, but I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" he asked just a bit too quickly.

"To see Tom," she eyed him curiously, "Literally the only reason I come in here."

"I don't think he's up there," Malfoy shook his head, "You should check the Library."

"I already have," she told him, "Like I said. I'll be right back."

Malfoy opened his mouth to speak, but she had already turned and was walking away from him. Serina ascended the staircase to the boy's dorms, making a beeline for Tom's room. She heard noises coming from inside as she approached, but with the door closed she couldn't make them out. Turning the handle, she swung the door open.

Serina's mouth dropped at the sight before her. Tom was bent over his bed, Rookwood standing behind him fucking him into the bed. The noises she heard were a mixture of Tom's moans and skin meeting skin.

"What the fuck?" the words were out of her mouth before she could think.

Rookwood stopped moving, and both boys turned their heads to look in her direction. Serina didn't focus on Rookwood. Her eyes were on Tom. He sported a half lidded gaze, his mouth hung open and a thin stream of saliva oozed down his chin. His eyes widened as they met hers. Serina let out a bitter laugh and turned around, leaving the door open as she left. She heard Tom shout, "Fuck!" but didn't let it slow her down. 

Getting to the bottom of the stairs, Serina fixed her eyes on the exit. Before she reached it, she stopped, and turned to Malfoy, who was watching her.

"Fuck you, Malfoy," she shouted across the room, "You're just as much of a piece of shit as he is."

The blonde didn't respond, knowing exactly what she meant. She turned back to the exit, ignoring the looks she was getting from the other residents of the room, and slammed the door behind her.

She was halfway down the hall when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Serina! Wait!" Tom called.

She ignored it, focusing on controlling her breathing as she kept up the swift pace down the hall.

"Stop!" Tom shouted, "Serina, please!"

He was getting closer. Serina could tell by how close his voice sounded. He was taller than her, which meant his legs were longer. It was only a matter of time before he caught up to her. Serina got to the top of the stairs, and made a quick right, heading in the direction of the Great Hall. It wasn't the fastest route to Ravenclaw tower, but it wasn't nearly as populated this time of day. As much as she wanted to embarrass Tom in public right now, she didn't want her personal business smeared across the castle. A slender hallway to her left would take her to the main staircases, so she made a sharp left.

"Serina!" Tom shouted, following behind her down the deserted hallway, "Stop walking away from me! Let me explain!"

Something about Tom's tone hit a nerve within her. She stopped in her tracks and spun around to face him, hoping her anger reflected on her face.

"Explain?" she spat, "You want to explain yourself?"

"Yes," he panted, stopping a few feet from her.

"Fine," she growled, "I'll give you thirty seconds to talk. After that time is up I'm walking away, and I swear to Merlin if you try to follow me, I'll make sure you regret it. Are we clear?"

"Yes," he responded instantly.

"Good," she spat, "You should start talking. You're down to twenty-five seconds now."

Tom wasted no time getting to the point.

"I owe Rookwood a lot of money," he explained, "He came to collect today and I didn't have the money to pay him back. I didn't have any other options. This wasn't my idea. This was what he wanted in lieu of payment. I didn't just do this because I thought I could get away with it. I didn't want to cheat on you, Serina. I didn't know what else to do. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you saw that, and I'm sorry I fucked up. I..."

"Time's up," Serina said, cutting him off before he could finish.

She turned around and started walking away.

"Say something," he pleaded, "Don't just walk away. Say something. Anything. Please."

"You don't want to hear what I have to say," she spat back.

"Yes I do, Serina," he shouted, "Talk to me!"

She whipped around so fast she almost made herself dizzy, and stomped back towards him.

"How dare you!" she shouted, "How fucking dare you stand there and demand something from me! Had the tables been turned, I wouldn't expect a bloody thing from you. But they're not turned, are they? I wasn't the one caught with my pants down. Do you really want to hear what I think? I think you're shit at making excuses. You say you ran out of options? Do you have any idea how many people would be willing to loan you money, myself included? All you had to do was ask. You didn't run out of options, Riddle. You chose this option. You chose to let Rookwood fuck you instead of seeing past your pride and asking for fucking help. You chose to walk this path, and you would have chosen to lie to me about it had I not walked in on you. You're not sorry you fucked up. You're sorry you got caught."

"No," he growled, "I was not going to lie to you about this. I knew I was fucking this up between us the moment I agreed to this. I had every intention of telling you, I just didn't expect you to find out like this."

"So you were breaking up with me anyways?" Serina asked, trying to make the words have a bite to them, but failing.

"No…" Tom stumbled over his words, "I was going to tell you...I…"

"Did you expect a different outcome, Riddle?" Serina spat, "Did you think I'd forgive you?"

"...No…" Tom whispered.

"Then I don't know why you followed me out here, Tom," Serina laughed bitterly, "The outcome would have been the same regardless. The only difference is I get to yell at you about it."

"I wanted to explain myself to you," Tom countered.

"It doesn't matter," Serina shrugged, taking a few steps back from him, "The end result is the same."

"I wanted to apologize," Tom added.

"Your apology means nothing to me," Serina turned around and began walking down the hall once again, "You wasted your time following me. You should go back to your dorm and let Rookwood finish. You two had a deal after all."

Tom opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. It didn't matter what he said. This was over. He had ruined things between them, and anything he said from this point on was useless. Instead he watched her until she turned the corner and was out of sight, feeling his chest ache more and more as she got further and further away from him.

* * *

Serina fell hard. She told her roommates she was sick, and demanded they leave her alone. She knew they didn't believe her, but Jessica still convinced the Headmaster she had come down with a cold, so she was excused from class for the week. When she was alone in her dorm, she drank. She drank heavily, and was usually passed out when they returned. The only time she ate was in the middle of the night when everyone had gone to sleep and the halls were empty.

When her week of freedom was over, Serina managed to crawl out of bed for a few classes, but never made it through the entire day. Once again, Jessica had her back, and told the Professors that Serina wasn't feeling well, and would bring her classwork back to her dorm. By the end of the second week, her roommates had had enough of her self-destructive behavior.

"That's it," Jessica announced one day.

It was a Saturday, and Serina had no plans of getting out of bed. Her roommates had other plans for her, though.

"Get up," Alidora demanded, "Get the fuck out of bed."

"No," Serina mumbled.

Jessica reached up and tore her drapes down, shredding the fabric.

"Yes," Jessica argued, "Get up. Get showered. Get dressed. We're going to Hogsmeade, and you're coming with us."

"No," Serina countered, "No I'm not."

Eliza reached forward and grabbed Serina's arm, pulling hard. Serina didn't struggle much, allowing the girl to pull her off the bed. She hit the floor with a thud and a groan.

"Get the fuck up," Eliza spat, "You're being a pussy. Riddle's not worth all this wasted time."

Serina sighed heavily and rolled over onto her back, looking up at the three girls staring down at her. They looked concerned, in their own way of course. Jessica looked worried, genuinely worried. Alidora looked disappointed. Eliza looked annoyed. They were concerned about her, in their own ways. It made Serina smile ever so slightly.

"Why are you guys helping me?" she asked, "I've been so mean to all of you at one time or another."

"What do you think friends are?" Eliza rolled her eyes, "If we weren't mean to each other from time to time we wouldn't even be friends."

Serina's smile grew a bit, "You guys suck."

"Yea," Alidora chuckled, "That's why we're going to make sure you get up and stop smelling like Firewhiskey before we drag you to Hogsmeade for some real food and sunlight."

"Food sounds good," Serina nodded.

"Good," Jessica reached down and grabbed Serina's hand, "Get up and we'll get food."

Serina entered the Ravenclaw common room, dressed in a fresh set of robes. Her hair smelled like berries, complements of Eliza.

"You're like a whole new person," Jessica smiled.

Serina shrugged, a smirk on her face, "I guess I clean up nicely."

Eliza raked her eyes up and down Serina's form, "Yea you do. I'd bang you."

Serina laughed, the sound foreign to her ears, "Bloody hell Eliza!"

Luckily they were the only ones in the common room, most of the other Ravenclaw's already at Hogsmeade.

"What?" Eliza shrugged, "Just saying. You look good."

"Thank you," Serina grinned widely, "Can we go now?"

"Oh now you want to go to Hogsmeade?" Jessica chuckled.

"Anything to get Eliza's creepy eyes off me," Serina responded with a smile.

The Three Broomsticks was jammed packed full of students. It was below freezing outside, and even though the wind wasn't blowing hard, even the slightest breeze was cutting through every layer. The four girls managed to find a seat, and they ordered butterbeers to warm up. They fell into casual conversation, having to raise their voices to be heard over the constant rumble of the crowd. 

Serina hadn't noticed anybody squeeze in next to her until she heard an unfamiliar voice in her ear.

"Fancy seeing you here," the male voice said.

Serina turned her head and met the gaze of Gregory Greengrass.

"Ugh," she scoffed openly, "What do you want?" 

"Just surprised to see you out and about when the sun is up," he explained.

"I'll crawl right back into my hole if it means avoiding you," she countered smoothly.

"Heard you and Riddle split," he said conversationally, ignoring her insult.

"There are plenty of rumors going throughout the school," Serina rolled her eyes, "You chose to listen to that one?"

"Yea," he nodded, "Cause it's not a rumor. I know you and Riddle split."

"Then why are you telling me?" she asked.

"I'm just wondering how you're doing," he shrugged, "Doesn't seem like he's doing too hot, and you've been drunk for a week and a half, so I doubt you're doing well either."

"What do you mean it doesn't seem like he's doing too hot?" Serina asked.

She was unable to hide her curiosity. She hadn't heard anything about Tom since she broke up with him, so she had no idea what Gregory was talking about.

"Oh you didn't hear?" he asked, "Riddle got detention, for the rest of the year, actually. He attacked Augustus Rookwood. Put him in the hospital. Some people say he almost killed him."

"No," Serina shook her head, "I didn't hear. I've been hiding in my hole for a week and a half."

"What did he do?" Greengrass asked, "He cheat on you?"

"None of your business," Serina spat, "Where did my group go? I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Serina looked up to see her roommates at the bar, ordering some more butterbeer.

"He did, didn't he?" Gregory laughed, "What an idiot. He should know you don't handle that well."

"Please fuck off, Greengrass," Serina rolled her eyes.

"You weren't this eaten up when I cheated on you," he continued, ignoring her, "I'm a bit jealous. We were together for longer. A lot longer."

"Hey!" Alidora shouted, "Fuck off!"

Gregory's head shot up in the direction of the girl.

"Calm down Dora," Gregory held up his hands, "We're just chatting."

"No," Alidora growled, shoving him out of his seat, "You're bothering her, and don't call me Dora."

"I'm not bothering you, am I Serina?" Gregory asked with a smirk.

"You get more annoying the more you talk, you know," Serina shot him a bored look.

"Hey," Gregory called as he was being pushed away, "You ever down for a rebound fuck, you know where to find me."

"You ok?" Jessica asked, taking a seat next to Serina.

"Fan fucking tastic," Serina grumbled, slumping in her seat.

"Don't let him get to you," Alidora told her, "He's just mad he lost his chance with you a long time ago."

"He's right though," Serina grumbled, "I'm way more torn up about Riddle than I was about him."

"No," Eliza slapped her hand, gaining her attention, "We're not talking about that right now. Neither of them are worth your time. You're spending time with us right now. Be here, with us, now."

Serina nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Yea," she smiled up at the girl, "You're right. I'm here with you guys right now. Fuck em."

"Fuck em!" the other three girls said in unison.

Serina smiled and took a swig of her butterbeer. She had no clue how she managed to find such good friends, but she was ever grateful for them today.

* * *

It was weeks before Serina's life returned to normal. Well, as normal as it could be considering she was studying for N.E.W.T.S, and going to regular ballet practice. She had cut back on her cocaine usage ever since she binged on Firewhiskey for almost two weeks, but she was far from sober. The days started looking good again, and Serina didn't feel as empty as she had before. She should have known it wouldn't last.

"Your pique turns are sloppy," Ms. Jeanne criticized. 

Serina dropped down on her two flat feet and nodded in the woman's direction, "Yea. I thought so too."

"They're better," she admitted, "but still sloppy. You're not holding yourself up. Your stance isn't strong in the turn. It looks like you're trudging through it."

"I feel like I'm trudging through it," Serina sighed, "I think I'm just tired."

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat in the doorway.

Both women turned their heads, and saw Professor Dumbledore standing there, taking up most of the open space.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he began, "but I must ask if I can steal Ms. Selwyn away from you for the evening. The Headmaster and I have important things to discuss with her."

"Of course, Professor," Ms. Jeanne nodded, "We were just wrapping up anyways."

"Good, good," he nodded, "Ms. Selwyn, if you will please follow me."

As Serina walked in the Professor's direction, he turned and led the way down the hall without a word. She followed a few steps behind him, silently hoping she wasn't in trouble. She hadn't been the most model student lately, and she was really hoping that wasn't coming to bite her in the arse.

When they entered the large office, Professor Dumbledore motioned for her to take a seat, standing beside the Headmaster, who was already seated at his desk. He looked ...solemn. He shot her a sympathetic look, and Serina's mind raced, wondering what was going on.

"Ms. Selwyn," Headmaster Dippet said softly, "I'm afraid this is not going to be a pleasant visit. I have grave news for you this evening."

Serina's eyes widened, watching the man across the desk, trying to figure out what he meant. Was she being expelled? Had something happened to her cousin? Had something happened to Tom?

"What is it?" she asked after several seconds of tense silence.

The Headmaster sighed, leaning forward in his seat to rest his arms on his desk.

"There's been a terrible accident," Headmaster Dippet said, "I regret to inform you that your father has passed away."

Serina felt her face go numb, followed by her fingers and toes. She slumped in her seat, and dropped her eyes to the desk.

"I'm so sorry," Dumbledore spoke quietly.

"What happened?" Serina asked, her voice sounding hollow.

"As I said," Dippet reiterated, "It was a terrible accident."

"In prison?" Serina asked, cutting her eyes up at the man, "How? Aren't they supposed to be watched?"

Dumbledore spoke up, "They're launching a formal investigation on the matter."

"Tell me how my father was killed," Serina demanded, glaring at the two men in front of her.

The Headmaster sighed, "It seems as if a dementor was mistaken."

"Mistaken?" Serina pressed, "How so?"

"The dementor was under the impression Mr. Selwyn was a different prisoner," Professor Dumbledore explained, "Someone who was set to receive the dementor's kiss."

"So my father wasn't killed," Serina spat, "He had his soul sucked out through his throat. On accident."

"Ms. Selwyn," the Headmaster held up his hands, "I understand you're upset but…"

"What are they doing about it?" she asked angrily, "Who is being held accountable for this?"

"That is why they are going to be doing an investigation," Dippet explained.

"The investigation will tell them a fucking dementor stole my father's soul," Serina spat.

"Watch your language," Dumbledore warned sternly.

"My father was just murdered and nobody is being held accountable," Serina shouted at the man, "With all due respect Professor, I think I have the right to be angry, and say whatever the fuck I want!"

"Ms. Selwyn, I do not want to have to give you detention," Dumbledore responded shortly.

"Detention?" Serina laughed, "You act as if I'm not leaving the school after this for a funeral and court hearing. I could give two shits about your bloody detention."

"That's enough," the Headmaster spoke up, silencing them both.

"Ms. Selwyn," he said, calmly this time, "You have every right to be upset. I will please ask you to refrain from using foul language in my office. You are not required to stay here, and I understand if you wish to leave and process this information on your own. Please remember I am always here to talk if you need to."

Serina nodded stiffly at the Headmaster and stood from her seat, making a quick exit from the office. Once she was alone, it all crashed down on her. Her father was dead. The last remaining piece of her broken family, gone. The man that told her to stay strong and always watch her back. The man that promised to hurt Tom if he broke her heart. The man who told her that he loved her no matter what. Accepted her for who she was. He was gone, and she would never have the chance to tell him goodbye.

Serina felt her left shoulder run into something, jerking it back and almost knocking her off balance. She stumbled to the right, her opposite shoulder hitting the wall. Her feet moved forward, not knowing exactly where, just forward. Her vision blurred with unshed tears, and she couldn't see where she was going. She couldn't hear anything but the ringing in her ears, blocking out any other noises.  Serina ran face first into something hard, toppling it to the ground, the loud clatter interrupting the ringing in her ears momentarily. Something wrapped around her wrist, and kept it in place as she continued moving forward. Her left arm was pulled back and she tripped over something, losing her footing and dropping to the floor. Her knees hit the ground and her torso crumpled. She expected her forehead to hit the floor, but it never did. Something held her in place, but she was unable to see who, or what, through her blurred vision. 

Her chest constricted, and Serina panicked. She gasped for breath, but her chest didn't allow her to take in the air she needed. It felt like she was suffocating. She felt her heart begin to race and she clutched her chest. Her arms were shaking, her heart felt like it was about to beat out of her chest, and her brain was going numb from lack of oxygen. Serina knew this was a panic attack, and she was nowhere near stable enough to handle it. This was going to be bad.

* * *

Tom scrubbed a desk by hand, finishing up on the fifteenth desk in this room. It was just part of his punishment for attacking Rookwood. Once he was done with this, he would scrub the walls by hand, then restock all of the teaching equipment before scrubbing the floors. It was better than being expelled, though. He still needed Hogwarts to recruit and move forward. That had been proven difficult as of late. When he wasn't forced to deep clean classrooms, he was distracted by thoughts of Serina, and regretting his idiocy.

Thunk.

"Oh sorry ...or not…." 

Tom heard sounds outside the open door, in what should have been a fairly empty hallway. It led down to the Headmaster's office, and nobody should be going that way this close to curfew. Tom poked his head out to see who was there, making sure it wasn't anybody he should be worried about, when he watched Serina walk by the doorway, seemingly lost in thought. Behind her was a Gryffindor boy who was rubbing his shoulder and walking in the opposite direction. Tom turned his head back to Serina just in time to watch her plow into a suit of armor, not even flinching as it clambered to the ground.

"Hey," he called out, trying to get her attention.

When she didn't react, he stepped out of the classroom and followed her down the hallway.

"Selwyn," he called again.

When she still didn't react, Tom risked reaching out and grabbing onto her wrist. He tugged lightly, only trying to get her attention. The simple tug knocked her off balance, and Serina tumbled to the floor. Tom released her wrist and came around to her front, hoping to finally get her attention and find out what was wrong. She was walking away from the Headmaster's office. It was possible she had gotten into trouble. Tom knelt in front of her and met her eyes, but quickly realized they were unfocused. He wasn't even sure if she was seeing him right now.

"Serina," he said softly, "What's wrong?"

She gasped, a loud, sharp sound in the otherwise silent hallway. It sounded strained, like her throat was constricted. A short exhale was followed by another sharp gasp. Serina started coughing, inhaling sharply whenever she could. She fell forward, and Tom barely had enough time to react before she fell to the ground.

"Hey," he soothed, grabbing onto her shoulders, "Calm down. It's ok. Calm down."

Serina still acted like she couldn't hear him. She just continued gasping for air. Her hands grabbed onto her robes and she balled them into the fabric, clutching at her chest desperately.

"Serina," Tom called, concern evident in his voice, "Breathe. Stop hyperventilating. Breathe."

Once again, she didn't respond. Tom hooked his arms underneath hers and pulled her to her feet. Lifting her off the ground completely, he carried her to the empty classroom and shut the door behind them. She crumpled to the floor when he set her down, giving him no resistance.

"Hey," he said soothingly, running his palms along her cheeks, "Hey it's ok. Calm down, darling. Calm down."

Serina jolted at his touch. It almost seemed like she was surprised she hadn't noticed him before. Her coughs morphed into sobs, and tears began streaming down her cheeks. Tom stilled, unsure if he was the cause of her tears or not. She jumped forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Loud, painful sobs wracked her body, and Tom wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Serina wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her body against his as she cried. Tom sat down, resting his back against the wall and running his hands up and down her back.

Gradually her sobs died down, and eventually turned into sniffles. It was well over an hour later before Serina's breathing returned to normal.

"They killed my father," she said, her voice hoarse from all the crying.

Tom's hand stopped moving up and down her back, stilling on the center.

"Who?" he asked quietly.

"Dementors. Guards. Ministry. All of them," she whispered.

Tom tilted his head and leaned it against hers, "I'm sorry."

Serina didn't have anything to say, so she nodded awkwardly against his shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Tom asked softly.

Serina shook her head, "Not unless you plan on dismantling the Ministry and destroying Azkaban."

"I do plan on dismantling the Ministry," he told her, "and I will destroy Azkaban if you ask me to."

"Don't," Serina grumbled, "Don't do anything for me. We're not dating anymore."

"That doesn't mean I've stopped caring about you, Serina," Tom explained softly.

"Don't make this about you," Serina huffed.

She lifted her head and moved to get out of his lap, but he held firmly onto her hips and refused to let her go.

"I'm not," Tom explained, "I just want to help you."

Serina huffed, but allowed him to hold her in place, "You can't help me. Nobody can. This is something I need to deal with on my own."

"I understand," Tom told her, "but if you ever need a favor from me, I'm here for you. I don't care if we're broken up, I still want to help you in any way I can."

Serina nodded and moved to stand, seeing if Tom would allow her up this time. He did, and she stood in front of him, looking anywhere but at Tom. He held out his hands, ready to catch her if she didn't have her footing.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To bed," she said flatly, "I need to go to sleep and pretend this isn't happening."

"Are you going to be ok getting back to Ravenclaw tower alone?" Tom asked.

"I'll be fine," Serina grumbled.

"Are you being honest with me?" he asked.

"No," she admitted.

"I'll walk back with you," he told her, "I won't come in. I just want to make sure you get back safe."

"Don't," she cut her eyes at him, "I know my way back. I don't need your help."

"You're not in any position to be wandering the halls alone," he argued, "You ran face first into a suit of armor earlier."

"Don't follow me," she demanded, "I need to get away from you before I regret breaking up with you."

Tom opened his mouth to speak but found his voice caught in his throat. He had not expected that. He watched her walk down the hall in the direction she was headed before she fell apart. Tom watched her until she turned and was out of sight, wanting nothing more than to follow her and beg her for forgiveness.


End file.
